Cadmium, lead and mercury in the blood of psoriatic and vitiligo patients and their possible associations with dietary habits.

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis and vitiligo are common, autoimmune skin diseases, their etiology is still unclear. The relationship between environmental factors including diet and various skin diseases has been studied. The general mechanism of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) toxicity is through the production of reactive oxygen species which are known to play a role in etiopathogenesis of skin disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of dietary habits on the concentration of Cd, Pb and Hg in the peripheral blood samples of patients with psoriasis and vitiligo.

METHODS

In this case-control study, sixty patients with psoriasis, fifty patients with vitiligo and fifty eight healthy people were examined. Blood levels of Cd, Pb and Hg were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Food-frequency questionnaires were implemented to collect the dietary data.

RESULTS

Significant differences (p < 0.05) of Cd levels were found between women and men with psoriasis and women and men in the control group. The concentration of Pb was significantly higher among vitiligo patients (50.04 ± 26.54 μg/L) than in healthy controls (36.04 ± 27.35 μg/L). Significantly lower ratio of Se/Pb, Zn/Pb and Cu/Pb was found among psoriatic men. Significantly (p < 0.05) lower values of Se/Hg ratio were observed among vitiligo patients compared to controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The elevated levels of toxic elements could increase oxidative stress which may partly contribute to inflammation in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and vitiligo, which requires further research. Analysis of the influence of frequent consumption of food products on toxic metals concentration showed that the dietary habits have impact on the content of examined toxic metals in the blood of patients. The obtained results may be useful for composing the diet and could be helpful in prevention of psoriasis and vitiligo.